Politics
78 Days in the Square: Is Rama Waiting for the Protest to Fade?
78 days in place Tirana
USPA NEWS -
Tirana has now witnessed 78 consecutive days of protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government.
After 78 days, however, the most important question may no longer be how many people are gathering in the square.
The real question is: What happens next?
Are protesters genuinely waiting for Edi Rama to walk into the square, face the crowd, and sign his resignation?
Or is the government pursuing a different strategy—one based not on confrontation, but on time?
Is time becoming Rama’s strongest weapon?
Political power often understands something that street movements sometimes underestimate: time can be a political weapon.
A government may choose not to confront a prolonged protest directly. Instead, it can wait.
Wait for fatigue.
Wait for divisions.
Wait for media attention to decline.
Wait for citizens to return to their daily lives.
The calculation is simple: if the protest cannot maintain its momentum, eventually the pressure may disappear.
After 78 days, this possibility deserves serious consideration.
But there is another side to the equation.
After 78 days, however, the most important question may no longer be how many people are gathering in the square.
The real question is: What happens next?
Are protesters genuinely waiting for Edi Rama to walk into the square, face the crowd, and sign his resignation?
Or is the government pursuing a different strategy—one based not on confrontation, but on time?
Is time becoming Rama’s strongest weapon?
Political power often understands something that street movements sometimes underestimate: time can be a political weapon.
A government may choose not to confront a prolonged protest directly. Instead, it can wait.
Wait for fatigue.
Wait for divisions.
Wait for media attention to decline.
Wait for citizens to return to their daily lives.
The calculation is simple: if the protest cannot maintain its momentum, eventually the pressure may disappear.
After 78 days, this possibility deserves serious consideration.
But there is another side to the equation.
If the protests continue to mobilize citizens, maintain public attention and expand their support, then the government faces a different problem.
It is no longer simply a protest.
It becomes a question of political legitimacy.
“Rama Must Go” Is Only the Beginning
The protesters’ demand for Rama’s resignation is clear.
But political movements cannot survive indefinitely on a single slogan.
Sooner or later, citizens will ask:
What comes after Rama?
Who governs?
Who organizes the transition?
Who guarantees free and fair elections?
How can Albania prevent one political elite from simply replacing another while leaving the same system untouched?
These questions are essential.
Because removing one political leader is not the same thing as changing the political system.
If the protest wants to become more than an expression of anger, it must present a credible vision for what comes next.
It is no longer simply a protest.
It becomes a question of political legitimacy.
“Rama Must Go” Is Only the Beginning
The protesters’ demand for Rama’s resignation is clear.
But political movements cannot survive indefinitely on a single slogan.
Sooner or later, citizens will ask:
What comes after Rama?
Who governs?
Who organizes the transition?
Who guarantees free and fair elections?
How can Albania prevent one political elite from simply replacing another while leaving the same system untouched?
These questions are essential.
Because removing one political leader is not the same thing as changing the political system.
If the protest wants to become more than an expression of anger, it must present a credible vision for what comes next.
Will Rama Ever Walk Into the Square?
Politically, it is difficult to imagine a prime minister with a parliamentary majority simply walking into a protest and announcing his resignation because protesters demanded it.
That is not how political power usually ends.
A resignation becomes possible when the political cost of remaining in power becomes greater than the cost of leaving.
That is where the real battle lies.
The protesters’ objective should therefore not simply be to wait for Rama to appear.
Their objective should be to create enough political and social pressure that the institutions of the country can no longer ignore the crisis.
Otherwise, there is a danger that the protest becomes a daily ritual:
The square fills.
Speeches are delivered.
Slogans are repeated.
The government remains silent.
And the next day begins exactly the same way.
Politically, it is difficult to imagine a prime minister with a parliamentary majority simply walking into a protest and announcing his resignation because protesters demanded it.
That is not how political power usually ends.
A resignation becomes possible when the political cost of remaining in power becomes greater than the cost of leaving.
That is where the real battle lies.
The protesters’ objective should therefore not simply be to wait for Rama to appear.
Their objective should be to create enough political and social pressure that the institutions of the country can no longer ignore the crisis.
Otherwise, there is a danger that the protest becomes a daily ritual:
The square fills.
Speeches are delivered.
Slogans are repeated.
The government remains silent.
And the next day begins exactly the same way.
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